Dogs, owners make a dash in annual race

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By Sean J. Miller | Sunday, October 15, 2006 12:52 AM CDT | () comments

Nick Loomis/QUAD-CITY TIMES Participants in the Scott County Humane Society Doggie Dash run along 2nd Street in Davenport Saturday morning.

Shaq’s extra pounds started slowing him down at about the mile mark; that’s when Mariah dragged her owner, Jay Breitlow, into the lead.

“Mariah is a little lighter than Shaq, so right after the first mile, she took the lead,” said Breitlow, 28, of Davenport. “She’s got a little greyhound in her.”

Mariah, a 2-year-old pit bull cross, and Breitlow, a student at Palmer College of Chiropractic, took first place overall in the Humane Society of Scott County’s 19th annual Doggie Dash Saturday.

Shaq, a 160-pound mastiff, and his owner Mark Cervantes, 34, of Davenport, were last year’s champions.

“I didn’t think I’d have any competition,” Cervantes said after the race. “But [Breitlow] was faster.”

About 150 dogs and their owners participated in the two-mile run and one-mile walk in downtown Davenport, organizers said.

“It’s just a fun thing,” said Marcia Pillard, chairwoman of the organizing committee. “It’s running with dogs.”

The event raises about $3,000 for the Humane Society, she added.

Most of the dogs are generally well behaved during the competition, said Pillard, who has participated in the event since it began.

“You’ll have a few dogs that don’t like each other, but the owners keep them in check,” she said.

Cervantes and Breitlow were doing their best to keep their four-legged partners in check as they mingled with other racers in the RiverCenter’s Perry Park.

Barks were exchanged between Shaq and Mariah, but their owners quickly separated them.

Cervantes said he runs with Shaq regularly to keep him fit.

“I run him about 30-40 miles a week,” he said.

Mariah’s training, on the other hand, is less orthodox.

“She just chases Frisbees,” Breitlow said. “It got her into game shape.”

Some of the smaller dogs could have outpaced their owners during the race.

Precious, a beagle-pug cross, came in second in the small dog category with her owner, Matt Wiese.

“She kicked my butt,” said Wiese, 30, a personal trainer. “I could have let her go and she would have won the race.”

Other owners thought it was their dogs who were holding them back.

Tara Ferencik — who in September took first place in the Taming of the Slough adventure race in Moline — placed third in the large dog category with her yellow labrador, Mercedes.

“We might have gotten first, but my partner was holding me back,” said Ferencik 34, of LeClaire, Iowa.

The cold weather was likely to blame, she said.

Typically, a dog’s fitness level is on par with its owner’s, Ferencik said.

“If the dog is a good athlete, then the owners are probably as well,” she said.

The city desk can be contacted at (563) 383-2450 or newsroom@qctimes.com.